A TITANIC challenge has been answered by Huddersfield students.

Christmas came early for a team of final-year interior design students on a BA (Honours) degree course at the University of Huddersfield.

They received one of the largest student prizes given to the university by a local company.

A total of £1,500 prize money was offered to a team of interior design students to come up with ideas for a new restaurant that will be part of a new residential and leisure complex in the Colne Valley.

The restaurant will be just one of the leisure facilities that will accompany a development of 125 apartments and a hotel in what was once Titanic Mill, a six-storey, Edwardian textile mill in Linthwaite. A gym and a spa are also planned.

Lowry Renaissance and Property Renaissance are the joint developers behind the apartments and hotel.

The leisure complex, which will be based on the ground floor below the hotel, is being developed by Property Renaissance.

The landmark grade II listed building was originally built for the Colne Valley Spinning Company and named Lowestwood Mill.

However, it soon became known locally as Titanic Mill, due to its immense size and because it was completed in the same year - 1911 - as the famous, ill-fated White Star liner, RMS Titanic.

The student prize was donated by the owners of Property Renaissance, Eileen Harrison and David Wilkinson.

Eileen said: "We're pleased to get the students on board.

"We approached the university because we thought it would be good for the students to consider the prospect of coming up with ideas for the interior design. We were also happy for them to choose the area - spa, gym or restaurant - that they wanted to concentrate on, and they chose the restaurant.

"When it's completed the restaurant will be called the Titanic Restaurant and will offer an international cuisine.

"The work was very impressive, and we will be looking at using some of the creations in the finished restaurant."

The £500 first prize was awarded to Catherine Niccol, 22, £400 second prize to Gillian Robertson, 21, and £300 third prize to Emily Rogers, 21.

Interior design lecturer Rod Adams said: "The students were asked to theme their ideas around the name given to the mill, Titanic, and the opulence, style and sense of discovery of that period of global seafaring travel.

"I was very pleased with their work, and it was a marvellous advert for the quality and standard we attain on the course."